Shohei Ohtani Discontent With Performance Despite Strong Start
While Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani proved he can still both pitch and hit in Wednesday’s win over the San Diego Padres, the reigning MVP wasn’t entirely happy with how he pitched. The right-hander only pitched five innings, his lowest inning total this season, and said he “wasn’t great” following the outing. “Just overall feel,” Ohtani said .
“I have a pretty high standard as far as performance. It didn’t really match. ” Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Ohtani wasn’t at the top of his game, but commended the pitcher on his strong performance regardless.
“I don’t think he had his best stuff tonight, but he found a way to get big outs when he needed to,” Roberts said. “I think today, I don’t know … it just didn’t seem like he had as much reserve or stuff to work with today. I really can’t pinpoint it, but he just wasn’t letting it rip as early for as long and (as) consistently as we’ve seen in other outings.
But he still has a way to use other pitches, sequence and still get guys out. ” May 20, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) wipes his face after pitching during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images How Did Shohei Ohtani’s Outing Unfold?
Ohtani got off to a rough start in the first inning, not because the Padres scored on him, though. No. 2 hitter Miguel Andujar dragged out his at-bat to 11 pitches before striking out, causing a 22-pitch first inning from Ohtani.